How to Pack a Straw Hat

Margaret Atwood, author of the 1985 dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale, once said, “I myself have 12 hats, and each one represents a different personality.” I’m not sure if she was referring to a sartorial affinity, but I am often reminded of this line when vacation season is in full swing.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Some summer models I own: a woven rattan from Tulum with a six-inch fringe trim; a cream Nick Fouquet hand-tie-dyed Western with a wide brim; a cherry-red Stetson cowboy wrapped with a leather lasso purchased at Kemo Sabe, the western accessories mecca in Aspen; an Hermès Ecuadoran fedora with an arrestingly tall, deep-dented crown; a baby blue gaucho with a navy band from the outstanding gift shop at the Hotel Baumanière near Saint-Remy-de-Provence; a raw sea grass boater pilfered from my suite at Amankila, in Bali; and a paper-thin snow-white Borsalino Panama engineered to be folded and stowed in your luggage.

The author in Kyoto, Japan, wearing his prized Hermès fedora.

Courtesy

In the case of the Borsalino, packing is a cinch. But what about the others? “Fill the crown with underwear or socks, place the hat in the suitcase, and then pack other soft clothing around the brim so the hat does not get squashed,” New York milliner Albertus Swanepoel suggests.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

On the opposite coast, Hollywood hatmaker-to-the-stars Nick Fouquet takes a different tack. “I’ve tried everything, but the best is still just to wear it,” he says. Not coincidentally, Fouquet is designing a new travel bag—one, he says, “that will be the ultimate place to pack a hat.” Hopefully the TSA will approve.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Town & Country participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.